Former Rangers utility man Andy Halliday has opened up about Ibrox captain James Tavernier and comments the Gers captain “would take back” if he could.
The diehard bluenose was speaking on BBC Sportsound about the Yorkshireman and was full of praise for Tavernier who he views as a top player and top leader.
But there is one incident which Halliday believes Tavernier regrets so much that he’d take a time machine to eradicate it from history.
Prior to Rangers horror 1-0 defeat to Hamilton in March, James Tavernier wrote programme notes which suggested the Gers side were intimidated when opponents get up in their face.
Naturally, it drew a stinging response from the Rangers fans who focused in on the comments after the shock defeat to Brian Rice’s side.
Here’s what Tavernier said:
“Whenever anybody puts a bit of pressure on us in Scotland or gets in our face it seems to affect us too much,” said Tavernier.
“At the start of the season when teams dropped off us and we were scoring four or fives goals, but now they smell blood straight away and it puts us under pressure.
“We are not good enough domestically at the minute to react to that.”
Whilst he might’ve been honest enough to say it, it’s not exactly what the Ibrox faithful wanted to hear.
Andy Halliday believes that if Tavernier could, he’d go back in time and change what he said.
“Listen, I think if Tav had a time machine, it is maybe something he would change,” said Halliday [BBC Sportsound].
“His comments, I don’t think they were valid, there was maybe a bit of emotion in his comments at the time.
“Every football fan that watches games, they’ll have comments on everyone, they’ll have opinions on everyone.
“They might say ‘no, he can’t handle the expectation and the pressure at Rangers.’
“But I certainly do not think Tav comes under that category and like I said, if he could take back those comments, I think he would.”
Halliday would also say that he believes Tavernier to lead by example on and off the field and that the full-back is Rangers’ best since £9m man Alan Hutton before he left for Spurs in January 2008.
“Yes, he’s made mistakes but he never hides,” said Halliday.
“I think he’s the best right-back Rangers have had for a long, long time. Alan Hutton had an incredible nine months to a year (before leaving for Tottenham in 2008) – but outwith that…
“We’ve been very lucky to hold onto him because I’m surprised nobody in England has come in over the last couple of seasons.
“The most simple way I can put is that Steven Gerrard is probably the most famous British captain over the last 15-20 years – and he made Tav captain.”
James Tavernier joined Rangers during the same season as Andy Halliday back in 2015 and is now the club’s longest-serving player, making 249 appearances for the club.
